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Important => Calendar Event Discussion => Topic started by: iago on December 21, 2006, 04:53:48 PM
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Convention website: http://www.phauxcon.com/
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Early bird registration is now open. Yay!
http://www.phauxcon.com
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Woohoo! I'm all signed up and counting down the days!
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i'm so looking forward to seeing you!
:)
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Can anyone tell me when Jim's appearance is that weekend? When he is appearing determines whether I can make it or not.
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Todd, there's a veeeeeeeeeeeery tentative schedule here (http://community.livejournal.com/phauxcon/20036.html) in the PhauxCon LJ-comm. Of course, as everything is subject to change, you should keep an eye on the website and community.
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Todd, there's a veeeeeeeeeeeery tentative schedule here (http://community.livejournal.com/phauxcon/20036.html) in the PhauxCon LJ-comm. Of course, as everything is subject to change, you should keep an eye on the website and community.
I'll keep watching. That weekend is turning out to be pretty crazy for me.
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ooooo i really wanna go! and if i'm going, i'm showing up in sea green scrubs, a lab coat, black hair and some glasses ;D
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(I sent an email asking this question to info@phauxcon.com as well; just covering my bases here.)
I registered (self and wife) for PhauxCon some time ago and have yet to receive passes/badges/whatever is used to get into the con. Is this a general situation or am I experiencing a specific blip?
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(I sent an email asking this question to info@phauxcon.com as well; just covering my bases here.)
I registered (self and wife) for PhauxCon some time ago and have yet to receive passes/badges/whatever is used to get into the con. Is this a general situation or am I experiencing a specific blip?
I'm fairly sure you'll pick up all that stuff at Registration, on Friday afternoon.
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We've gotten a schedule update (http://community.livejournal.com/phauxcon/22406.html) for the con! Also, registration for Friday's dinner with Jim and Shannon is now open (http://community.livejournal.com/phauxcon/22656.html).
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I'm fairly sure you'll pick up all that stuff at Registration, on Friday afternoon.
Oh okay. What should we bring - standard ID, that sort of stuff? And there's an OFF chance we won't be able to make Friday evening (work for both of us can get hectic all of a sudden); would we still be able to pick it up if we came in, say, Saturday morning?
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Oh okay. What should we bring - standard ID, that sort of stuff? And there's an OFF chance we won't be able to make Friday evening (work for both of us can get hectic all of a sudden); would we still be able to pick it up if we came in, say, Saturday morning?
It shouldn't be a problem, but you should definitely talk to Xionin (info (at) phauxcon.com) about it. And don't quote me on this, but I imagine a photoID and a printout of your ticket receipt from PayPal should be more than sufficient. Xio will probably clarify this in a later post on the LJ.
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Damn!!! I promised myself if Jim ever did another gig middle east coast I'd go. I have regretted terrible missing the Greensboro con this spring :( this is the one weekend I can NOT go :( I want to cry :(
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hey all,
sorry, i've been on the road all month (literally). i'm sending out the registration emails today and tomorrow. just print them out and bring them with you, with some form of ID, and you'll be set.
for those interested in attending the dinner on friday, and/or the brunch on sunday, ticket info will be up later as well. those are first come/first served and most of the spots are filled for friday's dinner.
any questions should be sent to the info (at) phauxcon.com address.
(thanks for your help, priscellie! :-* )
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Woohoo! So now I'll be spending the next two days with my cursor hovering over the "Refresh" button. ;D We're (wife and I) still in on the Friday dinner, right? I only ask 'cause I'm Mr. OCD. ;)
*edit* And speaking of OCD, I'd just like to get some info from anyone who knows the hotel and its area. Specifically, food - is there a good bagel place nearby, or is the hotel breakfast decent? What about lunch? I see we only have an hour for lunch, so I'm assuming something fast-foodish is near or that the hotel has a reasonable restaurant.
On a more general note, how many people do we have so far for the con and for the Friday dinner in particular? 'Cause we just might be persuaded to bring a couple dozen of the best bagels on the planet for Saturday morning if the numbers are small enough. :)
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Shecky, all your questions will be answered soonest if directed to Xionin at the info(a)phauxcon.com address. And for future reference under the "additional options" whenever you make a post, you can select "Notify me of replies," which will send you an email whenever anyone posts in this thread. It saves you a lot of refreshing!
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You have a point. With the refreshing "issue", though, I have to refresh my browser window anyway, but I still should've remembered the info@ address (we exchanged a few emails a while back). Duh. ;D
The question about anyone who knows the hotel and the area, however, I'm putting out to everyone to get as much info as possible. :) It's called "doing my research" *coughpickingeveryoneelse'sbrainsoIdon'thavetodoanyresearchmyselfhack*. ;)
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The question about anyone who knows the hotel and the area, however, I'm putting out to everyone to get as much info as possible. :) It's called "doing my research" *coughpickingeveryoneelse'sbrainsoIdon'thavetodoanyresearchmyselfhack*. ;)
hiya shecky!
the hotel is smack dab in the middle of downtown. there are, literally, dozens of restaurants within walking distance; everything from delis to brazilian steakhouses to irish pubs. the hotel breakfast is supposed to be pretty good. i've never eaten there, but it's hot, it's free (for guests) and it's what they use as a selling point.
there's also an awesome belgian waffle house right down the street. mmmmm hehe
i'm sure you'll be able to find something to satisfy your tummy over the weekend. but feel free to bring bagels. :)
~x
ps, yes you're both on the list for the dinner.
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hiya shecky!
the hotel is smack dab in the middle of downtown. there are, literally, dozens of restaurants within walking distance; everything from delis to brazilian steakhouses to irish pubs. the hotel breakfast is supposed to be pretty good. i've never eaten there, but it's hot, it's free (for guests) and it's what they use as a selling point.
there's also an awesome belgian waffle house right down the street. mmmmm hehe
i'm sure you'll be able to find something to satisfy your tummy over the weekend. but feel free to bring bagels. :)
~x
ps, yes you're both on the list for the dinner.
*ahem* Boo. Yah.
You really can't say that in a dignified way, can you? ;D
Yeah, we're just ruled by our stomachs. :)
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You guys who are going, you will post what you heard, felt, learned right? For those of us stuck behind office desks and work schedules, right? :D
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Absolutely! But since no one's replying positively to my "Are you going to PhauxCon?" thread, I'm going to assume that there won't be that much to report. ;)
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You guys who are going, you will post what you heard, felt, learned right? For those of us stuck behind office desks and work schedules, right? :D
You know we will! Actually, if I can figure out a system and if I can get Jim's permission, I'd like to record the Jim Q&A.
And Shecky, where's the thread? Edit: Never mind! Found it! (http://www.jim-butcher.com/bb/index.php?topic=4543.0)
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Wow, that would be great Priscellie. Really would be great. Wish I could be there...
Also that way Shecky's fingers won't get twisted up trying to keep us posted!
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Wow, that would be great Priscellie. Really would be great. Wish I could be there...
Also that way Shecky's fingers won't get twisted up trying to keep us posted!
No worries there. I type REALLY fast.
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You know we will! Actually, if I can figure out a system and if I can get Jim's permission, I'd like to record the Jim Q&A.
And Shecky, where's the thread? Edit: Never mind! Found it! (http://www.jim-butcher.com/bb/index.php?topic=4543.0)
My wife has an old camcorder (super 8 or whatever it's called) but we have no way of transferring it to an electronic file; otherwise, I'd charge that puppy up overnight as a just-in-case.
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My wife has an old camcorder (super 8 or whatever it's called) but we have no way of transferring it to an electronic file; otherwise, I'd charge that puppy up overnight as a just-in-case.
Do you have one of those adapter things that allows you to play it on a VCR? Because if you have a friend with a DVR, you can just hook the two together and burn the footage to a DVD. I've done it before!
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Do you have one of those adapter things that allows you to play it on a VCR? Because if you have a friend with a DVR, you can just hook the two together and burn the footage to a DVD. I've done it before!
We have the right cables (i.e., RCA jacks at the other end), but all we have is TiVo, and it's really picky about its inputs. We don't know anyone with a media-capable PC, either. :(
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Don't worry about it, then! I'm pretty sure I'll be able to rig up something with my webcam.
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;D ;D ;DBut only with Jim and Shannon's okay right? ;D ;D ;D
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Of course, Meg! Rest assured, I wouldn't dare impose on them. :D
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Free Tix to one day at the Con see here ...
http://www.jim-butcher.com/bb/index.php?board=4.0
-Steve
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Well, I'm back from Phauxcon. Despite my plans, I naturally left my digital camera at home. We got a disposable camera and I was almost too embarrassed to use it. ;D But Rob (thanks, Rob!) was kind enough to agree to get e-copies of his REAL-camera shots to me.
Jim was (to use his phrase) awesome. Despite publicity and the like, you never expect a NY Times bestselling author to be down-to-earth, but Jim IS. And Shannon? Ditto. Two very nice people. :) Not to mention Our Fearless Leader, Xionin - *salute* - FANTASTIC job organizing and being just plain cool. Sue and I thank EVERYONE who was there; we had a blast and wish we could've stayed longer and been more coherent (starting out on about 3 hours' sleep is not conducive to being as witty and personable as one would wish, but at least it DOES give OTHERS something to point and laugh at ;D ).
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute - it's always a good time when fen are involved. :)
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I'm back as well! Did you go by a different name, Shecky? I'd hoped to say hi, but I didn't recognize you.
I had such an amazing time, and I'm already teasing out ideas for a panel next year. I was lucky enough to meet Jim at NY Comic Con last year and found him to be all the things you'd hope a favourite author would be in real life: affable and funny and down-to-earth. But getting to hang out with him and Shannon in such a relaxed atmosphere was an entirely different dynamic! The Butchers are such great people, and they're even more fun when they're not exhausted and stressed out by the grind of a huge convention or a signing tour!
Friday night, we watched the unaired, 67-minute Dresden pilot, and Jim merrily heckled the entire thing. It was HILARIOUS. Heckling bad Sci-Fi channel movies is a tradition in the Butcher household, and the incomplete special effects and temporary voice overs in the pilot made for a lot of easy jokes. One of Jim's running comments was to repeat the text of the cards on the temporary effects in an excited tone with "Trust Us!" added, like "Bianca's face is burned! Trust us!" He also shared a bunch of cool behind-the-scenes facts about the series, such as "This is where the stunt guy broke both his legs." Poor stunt guy.
Saturday, Jim and Shannon each did a Q&A session, and as many of the attendees are writers, they were able to share their experience dealing with the writing process with us. Shannon wore my Maeve tiara during hers, as she is Queen of Estonia. Jim also talked about his experience with the various Dresden media spinoffs--the TV show, the comic, and a few potential projects on the horizon. Coooooool!
At the three dining events, they joined us in geeking out over various nerdy pursuits and regaled us with stories about their son, J.J., who is quite clearly the coolest kid in the history of the universe (and is also goin' to Utah!). At the signing, Xionin gave Jim a set of the Serenity Alliance Currency Money Pack (http://www.tfaw.com/Merchandise/Profile/Serenity-Alliance-Currency-Money-Pack___269679) that hadn't sold in the silent auction, and he joked about "Gettin' paid in cashy money," quoting Mal, then amended this statement to "Gettin' paid in cash and coke," referring to the seemingly bottomless supply of Coca-Cola Xionin provided for him. I took home the other money pack and the Tenth Doctor and K9 action figure set. Now Ten and Illyria and the cast of Mirrormask can have wacky escapades on my desk at work!
The Shindig was all kinds of fun. I came as Maeve, and I was delighted at how well it turned out! I got all kinds of praise from both Jim and the other con-goers. Most of the group didn't dress up, but we did get a wonderful Michael, a Charity, a hybrid book/TV Harry, a vampire, a 70's dude, and a pair of ladies in Ren Fest attire. Jim joked that was dressed as Dr. Chao, the cameo character he played on the TV show. He showed us concept art from the upcoming comic (including some images I hadn't seen yet!) and read from one of the Dresden books, doing so in the most energetic, geeky, delighted voice imaginable. He was having SO MUCH FUN as he read to us, and we laughed and cheered and winced right along with him. It was like reading it again for the first time! Crazy fun. A splendid time was had by all!
I have no hat, so I will say that my wig is off to Xionin for putting together an absolutely extraordinary con experience. I'm in awe of all the work she does for PhauxCon, and I'm so grateful. I had such a blast! Love to all the returning members, and I hope I can hang out with some of you again before PhauxCon 6!
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Nonono, I was there and partially under my name. My tag read "Richard (Shecky)" - I was the overgrown Gimli behind you the first evening, the talkative one with the talkative wife. And I still say that your Maeve costume ROCKED and rocked hard.
Folks, I can't tell you the last time I had such fun with such great-without-exception people. Everyone was everything that's good about cons. Fen FTW!
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Hey there - Shecky's wife here - I will echo his statement that we had a wonderful time this weekend.
Oh - I have our Tivo set to find Firefly episodes. Look forward to talking to you about it next year.
and - - - GREAT MAEVE costume. You rock!
Sue
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A splendid time was had by all!
Sounds cool. So where is your new "Maeve" avatar Priscilla ? ;)
-Steve
PS - If anyone gets some video on the web that would be very cool for those of us that planned to attend - and yet could not attend :'( Thx!
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I actually took very few pictures with my camera, as it's been acting up. I'm mostly relying on Xio and Rob, who were snapping pictures left and right! Hopefully they'll post the pictures and the video of Jim's Q&A sometime this week, after they recover from the con and perhaps take a three-day nap.
In the meantime, here are a few shots from the shindig I got with my lame camera:
Me and Jim (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_mejim.jpg)
Me, Jim, and Rob (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_mejimrob.jpg)
A really blurry picture of our Carpenter couple (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_carpenters.jpg)
And here's the wig alone (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_progress08.jpg), as I am so freaking proud of how it turned out!
Note that Jim and Rob are not short, I'm just wearing six inch platforms! I'm 5'9" in real life. :D
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Er, here I was assuming that the woman was supposed to be Murphy, with the inevitable fanfic 'shipping to follow. ;D
We're relying on Xio and Rob, too - had our purty little digital all ready to go, and then forgot to pack it. Too embarrassed to use the throwaway camera. :-[
And yeah, that was a bodacious wig.
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the wig alone ... as I am so freaking proud of how it turned out!
Hail to the Queen (queen of summer that is) !! :)
-Steve
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Winter, you mean! :D
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Not with the weather we had this weekend. ;)
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Winter, you mean! :D
:-[
Doh!
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I think that if Jim could be talked into doing Phauxcon again next year, we REALLY need to have the dinner at a good pizza joint. Talk 'em into hanging "Pizza 'Spress" over their name. Then make Jim wear a "Pizza Lord" t-shirt.
Y'know, Priscellie, I finally figured out why we were having summer weather there in October: your Maeve-ity ganked all the cool from the air. On account of the costume being so cool. Or... what the hell, I'm really stretching a point here, so gimme a break LOL!
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:D
*gives Shecky a biscuit*
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:D
*gives Shecky a biscuit*
Southern biscuit or English biscuit?
Ah, who'm I foolin' - I'm good either way.
PS - You did see my explanation as to which one I was at Phauxcon, right? Like you could miss it - the loudmouth married couple on the audience side of the con. ;D
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Southern biscuit or English biscuit?
Ah, who'm I foolin' - I'm good either way.
PS - You did see my explanation as to which one I was at Phauxcon, right? Like you could miss it - the loudmouth married couple on the audience side of the con. ;D
Yup, I saw! And you may have whichever biscuit you favor, though being a native Texan, I had the Southern variety in mind.
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Yup, I saw! And you may have whichever biscuit you favor, though being a native Texan, I had the Southern variety in mind.
BOOM baby! That's what I'm talkin' about!
*ahem* I mean, why, thank you. Now to find some sausage. Or sausage gravy.
... what? Is my SC childhood showing?
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GRITS!!!!
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Grits is good eatin'.
Meg? Are you another southerner marooned in Yankeeland? What with Pris in NY and me in NJ, we may be starting payback for all the damyankees moving to the south (old joke: What's the difference between a Yankee and a damyankee? A Yankee visits the south and then goes home ;) ).
*edit* Never mind. If I'd research a little and look at profiles before posting, I'd answer my own questions. Duh.
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Grits is good eatin'.
Meg? Are you another southerner marooned in Yankeeland? What with Pris in NY and me in NJ, we may be starting payback for all the damyankees moving to the south (old joke: What's the difference between a Yankee and a damyankee? A Yankee visits the south and then goes home ;) ).
*edit* Never mind. If I'd research a little and look at profiles before posting, I'd answer my own questions. Duh.
You can add me to the list. I was born and raised in Mississippi, but have spent the last 11 years in Pennsylvania. (Just realized while typing that sentence that apparently my criteria for residence includes number of letters in the name)
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Priscellie??
I don't know if you got a chance to check your blog, but I have a jewelry set that may have looked marvelous with your Maeve costume.
Your outfit looks awesome! And you really did a great job on the wig.
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d180/theteej2/Beadwork/ApPerQuew.jpg)
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Mmmm, biscuits and sausage gravy... Never did care for grits, though.
And yes, Terrijo, I saw the jewelry when you posted it in my blog comments! It's so cool!
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And yes, Terrijo, I saw the jewelry when you posted it in my blog comments! It's so cool!
Heh! Yeahhh perfect Maeve... glad you liked it.
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the TV show, the comic, and a few potential projects on the horizon. Coooooool!
Potential projects, hmmmm.
I'm joining the crowd with that I lurve the wig. :)
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Mmmm, biscuits and sausage gravy... Never did care for grits, though.
Heathen child. ;D
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Yup, I saw! And you may have whichever biscuit you favor, though being a native Texan, I had the Southern variety in mind.
Nice avatar. A Queen (and TCILG) not to be trifled with surely.
*Note the world-weary expression and the eyes that have seen more cruel winters than any mortal can fathom.*
Jim has got many other formidable women in his works. Plus he has sooo many books left to write. I am sensing a one woman (all Bucher) Broadway show in the making here.
;)
-Steve
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WE DEMAND PICTURES.
That is all.
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Mmmm, biscuits and sausage gravy... Never did care for grits, though.
Just stay away from the scrapple. You don't want to know where it has been.
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Just stay away from the scrapple. You don't want to know where it has been.
I know exactly where it's been. Which is why I stay away! Crazy Pennsylvanians.
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I know exactly where it's been. Which is why I stay away! Crazy Pennsylvanians.
I've seen it before. Not sure where it's been, but I AM sure where it isn't GOING to be. To Pennsylvanians: Yinz guys is CRAZY an' 'at.
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More pictures should be coming soon from Rob and Xio, but here's what we have so far from Denny. The rest of her images are here (http://web.mac.com/denny1354/EyeFlash/PhauxCon_5.0.html#grid) and include shots of the other costumers, including Xionin's awesome vamp outfit and an actual, non-blurry shot of the Carpenter couple. Click the images to enlarge!
(http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig01.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig01.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig02.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig02.jpg)
(http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig03.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig03.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig04.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig04.jpg)
(http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig05.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig05.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig06.jpg) (http://theninemuses.net/pics/costume/maeve_shindig06.jpg)
And Mickey, they're not freckles. They're sequins--some clear, some teal--making me look all glittery. It looked very cool in reality, but didn't photograph well.
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Shecky, I was in NC for five years while X got his PhD (before the Research Triangle became the Northern Hub of NC)... So I was one of THOSE damn Yankees!
However I've got a southern hillbilly accent in my repretaire as my "rearing" dialect was southern IA. Really, really easy to slip into "slow sweet speak" if I'm communicating with a southerner.I usually don't notice it which can get embarrasing.
Love all your exciting comments and the photos all, thank you for sharing!!!
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"And Mickey, they're not freckles. They're sequins--some clear, some teal--making me look all glittery."
Yeah, once I saw the whole face (now with Forehead!), I started to get the picture ;)
Remind me to never get you pissed at me...at least not anywhere where I can SEE you look down on me.
PS: Love the captions on the original page. "Thoughtful." "Girl with Green Hair" "Dangerous" "Couple." ;) Althought "Thoughtful" made me think Lee Martindale was in attendance, for a moment.
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hallo every-bodee!
i've uploaded some pics from last weekend. thank you to everyone that made it out.
hope to see you again next year!
~sierra
http://pics.phauxcon.com
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hallo every-bodee!
i've uploaded some pics from last weekend. thank you to everyone that made it out.
hope to see you again next year!
~sierra
http://pics.phauxcon.com
Nice pix. Thanks.
I have to hand it to all of you that dressed up in such a creative fashion. Cool and hilarious all at the same time. (OK, I admit it...I was looking through the pix and occassionally thinking that Jim needs to pitch a network on "The Surreal Life: Butcher-verse" asap ;D).
Kudos to All. Looks like fun although I must acknowledge the fact that had I been able to make it to this event I can't imagine having the nerve to "Dresden up" like some of you did. :o
I tend to feel like a mega-huge dork often enough already. Were I in costume on a non-Halloween occasion I am certain that the cool-ness police would arrest me and throw me into the stocks. Now that would be embarrasing. :-[ Try explaining that to the wife. "I know I am dressed like Lt. Jim Dangle and I know that this may seem odd to you, honey, since this is a Dresden event and all. But it's not as bad as it looks. Really!" ;)
Glad it was a good time for all.
-Steve
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xionin -- thanks for the pics, they were great. Job well done out in Phillie it sounds like.
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Paper: Bucks County Courier Times (Levittown, PA)
Title: By LAURIE MASON
Date: September 27, 2007
Section: LIFE LOCAL
Page: E1
COURIER TIMES
Jim Butcher is the New York Times best-selling author of "The Dresden Files," a fantasy-horror-mystery series about a wizard named Harry (No, not that Harry,) that was the basis for the popular, though short-lived SciFi channel TV show. The Courier Times caught up with Butcher last week as he prepared for his upcoming appearance at Phauxcon in Philadelphia.
CT: I know that the SciFi channel has said that "The Dresden Files" isn't coming back, but the Internet is full of rumors that it is. What's the latest?
JB: I am exactly the worst person in the world to ask.
I mean, I'm just the writer. No one tells me anything. I think I've spent all of five minutes talking to anyone at Lion's Gate in the entire process of the show, start to finish. I've talked a little more to folks at SciFi, but only because of the face-to-face meetings at the New York ComicCon.
There are rumors that the show is coming back? Man, I haven't heard that one. See what I mean? I'm just the writer. Not even the fans tell me anything! That said, though, the sets have been struck, the crews let go, the actors' contract options expired. I think it's safe to call it a done deal, at this point.
CT: I'm sure that the television show brought new attention to your "Dresden Files" books. Since there are significant differences between the books and the television show, have fans of the books been able to adjust?
JB: With varying degrees of success (smiles). There has been lively controversy on the subject, with viewpoints ranging from "the show is SO much better" to "someone really ought to burn down the sets and hire ninjas to kill the producers." In general, most of the fans took the changes made to the story world with a grain of salt, and seemed to have a good time watching the show. Some didn't, and that's fine.
The two were never meant to be taken as identical twins, and it would be unfair in the extreme to expect everyone who liked the books to like the show, or vice versa.
CT: Harry Dresden is a chronic wisecracker. How much of that is your personality coming through on the page?
JB: Zero. Zip. None. Nada. In person, I am staid.
Stolid. Square. Upright. Boring, even. I look like that guy with the pitchfork in that "American Gothic" painting, only less cheerful, and I only laugh twice a week: once when I'm reading the Sunday funnies, and once during a sitcom. Oh, and sometimes on official holidays, I'll indulge. I try to avoid overt laughter, though, or too much smiling, which could lead to laughter. I don't want to expose my teeth to UV.
CT: You're writing at a time when, thanks to the Web, authors are able to interact with their fans like never before. Is that a good or bad thing?
JB: It is a good and a bad thing. Good because I get to hear what the fans have to say, respond to them, swap jokes and stories, answer questions, and in general treat my readers as if they were, you know, real people. That's a majorly good thing! Bad because it also means that I have historically unparalleled access to all the negative feedback, too, and thanks to the magic of the Internet, people feel far more comfortable with being, frankly, acidic, snotty, vile-spewing jerks, safe behind their anonymous Yahoo account. That kind of thing can really suck. I'm still building up my immune system against that sort of response, but I've got this condition where I care, and it makes it an ongoing problem.
CT: Authors are always asked to give some good advice to new writers just starting out. Instead, tell me about some really bad advice you got when you first began writing.
JB: I would, but if I told you all the bad advice I got, it would take me four years and you'd have a bachelor's degree in English lit, just like me.
CT: I've read that you're a video game addict. How does a busy writer find time to play with toys?
JB: Easy. You just skip sleep (smiles).
CT: Tell me a little about your "Codex Alera" series.
JB: It's sort of a negative mirror image of the "Dresden Files." Instead of being set in our world, it's in a totally different fantasy universe. Magic is everywhere, and in fact it has more or less replaced technology. The protagonist of the story, a young man named Tavi, is in fact the only person in his society who has absolutely no skill with their form of magic, which is known as furycrafting, and uses a bond with various elemental spirits of the land to accomplish various cool supernatural feats. Tavi's had to survive in a really rough part of the world purely on his wits, speed, and toughness, and as a result he's become ideally suited, in many ways, to deal with a lot of the problems which are about to beset the realm of Alera, the land he lives in. There are legions and spies and treachery and barbarians and monsters and slavers and duels and plots and treason and giant bugs and zombies and horses and swords and fortresses and battles and werewolves and everything.
Alera is an enormously entertaining place for me to go, after I've spent several months in Harry's Chicago.
CT: Any other Jim Butcher projects that new fans should check out?
JB: I've done a Spider-Man novel for Marvel! It's titled "The Darkest Hours," and is available from Pocket Books. There are also Dresden short stories in two anthologies: "My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding," and "Many Bloody Returns," with a third Dresden story coming up in the anthology entitled, "My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon."
CT: What can fans who come out to Phauxcon next week to hear you speak expect?
JB: Pop culture references, most likely. And for me to put my foot in my mouth at least once. If I get desperate, I can drag out the story about the witch doctor and the poisonous spider, or maybe the one about how my Bichon Frise saved my kid from a bear.
Those are both good ones - though they aren't even fiction, so it always feels a little like I'm cheating. I will likely do a reading from one of my upcoming books, either "Captain's Fury" or "Small Favor"- not sure which yet, we'll have to see.
Copyright 2007 Bucks County Courier Times
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Witch doctor and poisonous spider? I feel cheated. Dammit, Jim!
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Witch doctor and poisonous spider? I feel cheated. Dammit, Jim!
Me too! I've heard the story about Frost vs. the bear, which would put Lassie to shame, but this is my first time hearing mention of witch doctors and spiders...
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COURIER TIMES
CT: Harry Dresden is a chronic wisecracker. How much of that is your personality coming through on the page?
JB: Zero. Zip. None. Nada. In person, I am staid.
Stolid. Square. Upright. Boring, even. I look like that guy with the pitchfork in that "American Gothic" painting, only less cheerful, and I only laugh twice a week: once when I'm reading the Sunday funnies, and once during a sitcom. Oh, and sometimes on official holidays, I'll indulge. I try to avoid overt laughter, though, or too much smiling, which could lead to laughter. I don't want to expose my teeth to UV.
Jim-tastic.
Xi - I hope to enjoy the Con next year. It was clearly a cool event.
After reading a bit about the upcoming Dresden RPG that Fred is working on...well who knows...maybe I'll even get the chance to roll the hit die for the first time in 20 years as well :). Looking forward to it.
-Steve
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Mmmm, biscuits and sausage gravy... Never did care for grits, though.
And yes, Terrijo, I saw the jewelry when you posted it in my blog comments! It's so cool!
Nice Jewelry... I like biscuits with butter and jelly... But I MISS GRITS! I'm out in SoCal... Virginia born and raised....
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Frell frell frell!
I`m a native Philadelphian and didn`t know about this. Will definitely be on the watch for it next year. Sounds like a blast. Thanks for the reports and pics. :)
Xionin, thanks for posting the quotes from the Bucks Courier Times. I`m just over the border here, get the Philly Inquirer, so would never have seen that. Very enjoyable read.
Nice outfit, Priscellie!
While I feel a need to defend my home and its culinary greatness, I have to agree that scrapple is indefensible. It has been said that whatever is deemed too nasty to put into a hot dog is reserved for the scrapple. However we more than make up for its vileness with our soft pretzels and CHEESESTEAKS. And Tastykakes. ;D